ABV: 8.3%

I really appreciate the stories Urban Chestnut Brewing Company spins on its beer labels. The ancient tale referenced on Erlkönig is especially interesting. This beer, a double wheat bock ale, falls into their “Revolution Series” which is a nod to the revolution of modern craft beer in America taking place in urban areas like St. Louis. The story behind Erlkönig however, could not be less modern. Dating to a poem written in 1782 by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, it describes a boy and his father resisting the lure of a mysterious Elf King. It’s worth a read if you’re into the strange and supernatural. So, how’s the beer?

It pours an opaque orange with a bright, fluffy white head. This is a double bock and that banana breadyness you’d expect comes through on the aroma and first sip. The sweetness of the wheat is there, though not cloyingly so. It has a medium body and a peppery spice finish. I also was left with a pleasant dryness after letting the beer linger. I’m not normally a huge fan of bocks but this one strikes the right balance between ester characteristics and mellow sweetness.

Urban Chestnut suggests it’s best to resist the Elf King’s promises of being rocked and danced and sung to sleep. But I don’t know, if his Kingness beckoned such niceties along with a chalice of this brew, could you really say no? #rhetorical

Follow Niel on Twitter @WaveTrainLLC and Instagram @WaveTrainLLC

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